Broken Arrows
by readbetweenthesigns
Summary: When Ms Pilsbury ran away from her wedding to Mr Schue on Valentine's Day 2013, a series of events was set in motion, and now, Valentine's 2014, the piper was still waiting for his payment... *Daughtry inspired* M for language, 2nd chapter in progress by request. Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Ownership is neither claimed nor implied.**

**A/N: You know that day when you wake up and you know that everything in your life has fallen into place? Yeah, Quinn laughed when I asked her that question too...**

"Hey, good to see you," Jake cried as his brother hugged him, slapping his back. "Looking cool in that uniform, bro," he grinned, just a little bit mockingly. "The ladies fall at your feet or what?" he asked, attempting to look impressed.

"Some do," Puck admitted with a shrug. "Usually they want the flyboys though, we mere mortals, the ground crew who do all the grunt work, we aren't exciting enough," he admitted. Not that Puck was particularly bothered about that, he wasn't. Puck had sown enough wild oats through high school to feel like he was missing out on anything. He managed, he got enough interest and when he didn't, he had his memories and his hand to fall back on...

"_What about Finn…"_

"_Tell me one more time…"_

_"If you come over on Friday, you get to have sex with me..."_

"_I'm not here for a patch, I'm here because I love you…"_

_"You're my first..."_

__"You're sure no one knows about us..."__

_"It would be kind of rude to let the bridal suite go to waste, poor Mr Schue..."_

"Dude. Hey, Puck," Jake called, snapping his fingers in front of Puck's vacant eyes. "Where the hell did you go?" he asked, laughing at his brother.

"Sorry, phased out there for a second, it's the training," Puck lied, he couldn't admit he was still sappy in love with one Qui…holy shit. Puck's chin hit his chest. "She's here? And you didn't tell me?" he demanded, looking at Jake with scared eyes. "Holy crap. Every time I think I've gotten her out of my system she just appears again, like freakin' magic," he whispered, almost to himself. "And I'm right back where I started." Puck watched her move, it was like watching a slow motion hairspray commercial. Awesome, just freakin' awesome.

Quinn walked down the hall, carefully placing one foot in front of the other, looking neither left nor right, her hands on her hips a la Head Cheerio. Quinn's skirt swished saucily above her knees as she strode, her long, blond hair swung, her funky necklace bounced between breasts that Puck knew, from vast past experience of those particular breasts, he knew they must have the assistance of an amazing push-up bra to look that fucking awesome. Not that her boobs weren't awesome enough already, they were, but they weren't usually quite so...prominant, defined. Puck had a sudden thought. "Maybe she had a boob job like Santana, no, Quinn would never do that to herself". Puck gulped as she stopped right in front of him, her stylish, peep-toed wedges bringing her closer to his height. "Puck," Quinn breathed, her hot breath floating over his throat making him swallow hard. Puck stayed totally still, he just allowed his eyes to flick down to look at her. Quinn knew the moment his eyes connected with her. Slowly and deliberately she licked her lips. "Did you come for the careers convention too?" she asked, then took a deep breath in, just to absorb as much of him as possible. It didn't hurt that it shoved her boobs even further into his line of sight. "God this bra is awesome," Quinn thought, "it was so worth the money."

"Errm, yeah, I yeah," Puck stuttered, swallowing madly, he knew he was salivating, he could almost taste her, he wanted to lick her, her perfume surrounded him, he wanted to sniff the air like Hannibal Lecter did when he told Clarice Starling what perfume she wore. Oh God. Now eating her was in his head. And the amazing, unique taste of her. And the sounds she made when he did that to her. For her. Oh crap. Quinn watched the flush on Puck's cheeks, saw the glaze in his eyes, saw him gulp, she held in a smile as she moved her body slightly so that she gave him the best angle to view her assets, but just subtly enough for it to look like an accident.

"Quinn. Quinn, there you are," a weirdly accented male voice called. A stranger jogged towards them, waving to try to catch Quinn's attention. "Darling I couldn't find you," he added as he reached them, he sounded ever so slightly patronising, just a little bit possessive and too freakin' close to Quinn for Puck to even think about liking the guy.

"Dick," Puck immediately thought. "This your new guy, Q?" he asked, his voice deceptively smooth, Puck actually felt like a thousand red hot needles were penetrating his skin. It hurt. It physically hurt.

"This is James Grayson," Quinn replied, her hand landing just a touch flirtily on the new guy's chest as she turned to smile at him. "He's from England," she added just in case Puck and Jake were too stupid to work out the accent for themselves.

"You must be…" James fished, holding a hand out to Puck.

"Her first. First love, first lover, father of her child," Puck introduced himself without even thinking about giving his name, he took great joy in the instant that shock and surprise smacked the prick right between the eyes. "You didn't tell him about us? About Beth?" he asked Quinn facetiously. "Actually, Jimmy," he added, leaning towards the newcomer as if to impart a secret. "If she'd had it her way, it would be children, not child, don't you remember how you begged me to get you pregnant again? No? It's not _that_ long ago, you haven't forgotten that, surely," he mocked, loving the distraught look on her face.

"Thank you, Puck," Quinn hissed sarcastically. "James, let me introduce you to Mr Schuester," she said as she turned to face the slightly puzzled guy and led him away.

"So you're over her, right?" Jake murmured and looked at Puck in amused disgust. Puck didn't reply, he didn't have to, the pout said everything. "Ah crap," Jake muttered as Marley walked past and blanked him. Again.

"S'up there, dude?" Puck asked, slightly concerned about his little brother.

"Oh, nothing," Jake sighed as they both walked towards the choir room. "She broke up with me and now she won't even talk to me," he said, full of self-pity.

"Why, what happened?" Puck asked, curiously.

"I er, I might have cheated on her slightly," Jake mumbled, his head down.

"_Cheated on her_?" Puck cried. "Why? Why would you do that?" he demanded.

"Look, I didn't _want_ to, it just happened," Jake answered with a shrug. Puck gave Jake a look, he didn't have to say anything. "God, stop looking at me," he cried. "Seriously. Stop," he shouted, frowning at Puck. "Look, it was not my fault," he explained, his words faltering in the face of Puck's sceptical sneer. "It wasn't," he insisted. "You know what it's like. Marley wouldn't, Bree would," he shrugged, mumbling his excuse. Jake looked at his big brother. "Oh come on, you never stayed faithful to any girl you dated. Or played. Or just fucked," he reminded Puck.

"Except her," Puck whispered, his eyes still locked on Quinn's ass as she pranced and danced around excitedly, talking animatedly with Tina, Mercedes, Rachel and Santana, all while hanging on to The Prick's arm.

"Seriously?" Jake asked. "You never cheated on Quinn?"

"Never. She's the one," Puck sighed. "I just wish I'd had the balls to tell her."

* * *

><p>The auditorium was packed with McKinley High seniors all waiting to hear from former students, hear them big up their career choices. On one side of the stage were the students who had chosen the college route, on the other, the students who had chosen employment. Puck sat in his uniform, looking very smart, proud of his career, proud to serve his country. He caught Quinn's eye and gave her a little wink, a friendly little gesture, there was nothing sleazy or skanky about it. Well, not much anyway.<p>

"Noah Puckerman," Ms Schuester, the former Ms Pilsbury, called as she clapped.

Puck stepped forward to the podium to give his view. "I didn't join up right after graduation. I took a year out, saw something of the country, had some experiences," he told the audience. "I joined the Air Force when a life changing event caused me to rethink my whole lifestyle and it's the best thing I've ever done. I feel like I belong, I have a great bunch of guys I work with, train with, it's hard, it's physical but you get to do some exciting, extraordinary stuff, stuff you wouldn't do out in the real world," he explained. "I get the chance to travel the world, work in different countries, to help people in need, it's an amazing career for the right people. Thank you," Puck finished and stepped back finding his seat again, he knew there would be a question and answer session later, Ms S had already told them that.

"Quinn Fabray," Ms S called and applauded as Quinn stepped up to the podium.

"Thank you," Quinn said with a nod to Ms S. "Originally, when I was accepted to Yale, it was into their Performing Arts program," she explained. "Then I had the accident, I'm sure some of you might remember me scooting up and down these halls in my wheelchair," she said, a little self-mockingly, Puck thought. Quinn waited a few seconds, heard a mumble of agreement then moved on. "So when I actually arrived in New Haven and got settled in, first thing I did was change my major. Not being able to walk for a time had changed my outlook so much, altered my perspective of how life should go, could go, could go wrong, that I knew my goal in life was to help people, help them overcome, especially kids. So I am actually studying Child Psychology, my aim is to become a therapist, to help kids through the tough times, help them get back on track, get their lives back," she finished, full of positive thoughts.

An older woman followed Quinn. She was a teacher to special needs kids, a truly rewarding career. Next came a firefighter then a police officer then a couple of accountants, Puck got bored and stopped listening. "Her ass looks so fucking kissable," he told himself as he watched Quinn shift a little on her stool, turning to the side as if deciding whether she should leave the stage. Puck knew she must be feeling it in her back, being sat for all that time, he remembered the hours and hours of therapy, the x-rays, the doctor visits, he'd been there with her through every one and he also knew that her back wasn't as healed as she liked to pretend. "Excuse me," he whispered to the people beside him as he edged past them. Puck walked across the stage to Quinn, the person talking didn't even falter, he had no idea. "Hey," he murmured and assisted her to settle better on the stool. It was slightly higher than really necessary, Puck knew from past experience that Quinn struggled on these tall stools so he stood beside her, his arm around her back giving her something to lean against. The career day continued on around them.

"Noah that was so chivalrous," Ms S said breathlessly as the stage cleared, as people dispersed to wander among the students so that they could ask any question they wanted. "It's wonderful to see you two together again, you always suited each other, complimented each other," she sighed, her smile wide, her hands tucked together under her chin.

"Oh, no, Ms Schuester, we aren't together," Quinn denied with a breathless laugh. "Puck just helped me, that's all."

"Oh," Ms Schuester replied, smiling with that blank, hopeful smile she used all the time.

Puck didn't say anything, he just smiled, he'd felt the jump in her heart rate when Ms S said what she did. He'd both felt and heard the ragged indrawn breath, caught the faint sound of a desperate groan as his hand passed gently over the top part of her back, felt how she couldn't help but gravitate towards his touch. Some things were just there to savour. And that moment was one of them.

* * *

><p>"So how was today?" Judy asked. "Did you see him?"<p>

"Yes," Quinn sighed. "He was there," she muttered and felt every emotion and feeling that she'd kept wrapped up all day, she felt everything flutter through her. When his hand had stroked across the top of her back, God she'd barely been able to stop herself from undulating towards him, she'd barely been able to hold back the moan. The feel of his hand was still imprinted on her back.

"Hello James," Judy said, turning to her nephew. "How was it today, actually seeing the school that you're going to do your teaching in?" she asked.

"It was a bit odd, Aunt Judy," James replied. "Some of the kids are a bit high strung, too. I met Mr Schuester of course, he's happy to be my mentor for the next six months," he added. "Are you sure you don't mind me staying here with you?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Judy replied with a grin. "I'll enjoy the company. Do you still like to go dancing?" she asked, hoping that the answer would be yes.

"Oh yes, I love it," James replied. "Latin, ballroom, modern, any, all, I love dancing," he twittered, clapping his hands together.

"Fabulous," Judy cried excitedly. "We can go to the country club on Friday and Saturday nights, they hold dances then, you don't mind your old aunt as a partner, do you?" she asked sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"My ballroom champion aunt, you mean?" James laughed. "Of course I won't mind, I'd be rather insulted if you took someone else," he added then hugged Judy. "This is going to be great," he sighed.

Quinn left them to it, thankful to be off her mom's radar for a while. Four more days at McKinley for the careers convention then she could go back to New Haven and forget all about him again. Well, not exactly 'again'. More like try to forget about him for once. Like she'd ever managed to get him out of her heart or her mind. Ever.

"Hey baby," Quinn murmured when she entered the nursery. "Have you been a good boy for Grandma?" she asked, leaning over the crib. Quinn loved the beaming smile that lit up her son's face whenever he saw her, when he heard her voice. "Ooh you're getting to be such a big boy," she grinned as she picked him up. "And I bet you're ready to get your diaper changed, right?" she said, carrying him to the changing table. "Guess who mommy saw today," she said as she stripped off her baby's damp diaper. "Your daddy, that's right, I saw your daddy," she smiled. "And your uncle Jake too," she added. "You look so like your daddy, you have his eyes, thank God you don't have his dopey smile," she added as she pulled the little pants back up. "You have his hair though," she sighed. "Who'd have figured his hair actually grew in that stupid mohawk, right? It's probably why he shaved it like that in the first place."

Quinn went down with the baby in her arms. She found her mom and James in the kitchen still. "Bloody hell, now I've actually seen the bloke in the flesh, he's the absolute spit of his dad, isn't he, the poor little bugger?" James burst out. "Never mind sunshine, at least you're healthy," he teased, chucking the baby under the chin.

"I assume that means he looks like Puck?" Quinn asked, hating when her cousin started talking in phrases she just didn't get. James nodded. "Well, he still doesn't know so just keep it to yourself, especially if Jake Puckerman is in any of your classes," she reminded him.

"Who is this Jake exactly?" James asked, he'd met so many kids and teachers through the afternoon that he couldn't keep them straight in his head.

"Jake is Puck's brother," Quinn explained. "Jake Puckerman, Noah Puckerman, Noah's just always gone by Puck," she shrugged.

"I know which one you mean, the one who was talking with Captain Scrumptious when he couldn't keep his eyes off you and did his best to warn me off you, is that right?" James asked, amused beyond measure. Usually he was so camp he didn't worry any man by chatting to his wife or girlfriend, they could usually tell at fifty paces that James was not interested in women. But not today apparently. Maybe it was McKinley High that had wiped off his vibes.

"Yes," Quinn giggled at James' description of Puck. Captain Scrumptious, yes, she could totally go with that. "Do you want to get the door?" she asked James as she sat down to feed her baby, bringing him close to her breast.

"Good afternoon," James said seriously to the four girls and one guy who were stood on the door step. "Could you wait one moment, I'll see if Ms Fabray is taking callers today," he said, his tone very formal, very British, very condescending. Then he burst out giggling. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Come in, she's in the kitchen," he managed through his giggles.

"Hi," Quinn called as the girls came in first. "Look Oscar, it's Aunty Tana," she said, looking down at her son's face. "He won't be long," she told the group, rolling her eyes at the salacious wink from Santana.

"You just got your boobs out to tease me, didn't you," Santana said to accompany the wink. "This kid doesn't need to eat that, he needs a steak, look at him, look how big he's gotten," she cried, leaning over and smiling at the baby, he smiled back, his tongue still working Quinn's nipple. He grinned for a second or two then snuffled and went back to sucking determinedly.

"I want cuddles when you're done," Rachel demanded.

"Me too," Mercedes and Tina shouted together.

"You can keep them," Kurt called from the other side of the kitchen. "But look at this, look what I brought him," he cried, pulling a creation out of the bag he'd brought in with him. "The ultimate in baby chic," he told James quite seriously. "As long as he doesn't spit up on it," he muttered, stroking his hand over the velvet and tweed outfit.

"Where do you find stuff like this?" Quinn demanded, amazed at the fairly awful outfit. She really did not think that this one would make it into Oscar's wardrobe.

"I make them," Kurt announced and came to sit beside her on the wonderfully cushioned window seat. "I sell them by the thousand at Brooklyn Flea Market," he told Quinn. "It completely funds my life at NYADA," he sniffed, Kurt was actually quite proud of himself.

"Congratulations," Quinn cried, sitting Oscar up and patting his back for a while. Rachel fell for the little boy all over again when he burped daintily then gave her the most beautiful smile. "You're really a designer," she praised Kurt, Kurt preened.

"Oh can I hold him?" Rachel begged, reaching out for the baby. "I'm surprised, I thought Noah would have been here, I thought as soon as you te...you didn't tell him, did you?" she accused. She knew, the second she saw Quinn's face, she knew she'd chickened out of telling Puck that he was a daddy.

"Well, it's not my fault," Quinn claimed, her cry bringing looks of disbelief from everyone in the kitchen. "It's not," she insisted. "I walked up to him, I started talking to him and I got distracted," her voice had set off loud enough, normal, but it had faded to a mumble for the last few words though.

"Distracted?" Mercedes cried. "How old are you?" she demanded.

"Twenty," Quinn murmured with a pout when it seemed like everyone was waiting for her reply.

"That's right, twenty years old," Mercedes confirmed, "and don't you think that you and Puck have spent enough years dancing around each other to be truthful now? Don't you think he deserves to know? Because I do," she insisted.

"You're right. You are," Quinn agreed, pacing up and down the kitchen with her hands in her hair. "I should call him, ask him to come over, shouldn't I?" she asked, biting her lip. "I can't, I don't have his number," she realised and felt a surge of relief sweep through her.

"I do," Santana, Mercedes and Rachel all answered together.

"Me too," Kurt, Tina and Judy added.

"Mo-om," Quinn cried. "How did you get his number? When? Why? Why would you even have his number?" she demanded.

"Oh like I didn't know who the daddy was before you even told me," Judy exclaimed, exasperated with her daughter's procrastinating. "I asked for and got his number from...a very reliable source, when you first told me you were pregnant," she explained nervously.

"Who?" Quinn demanded, a cross, angry look on her face. "Mom, who gave you the number?" she asked quietly.

"Monica," Judy whispered, looking away from her daughter with shame in her eyes.

"You got his number from his mom?" Quinn cried. "Why?" she asked loudly. "Did you tell her?" she demanded.

"I might have," Judy mumbled. "Well I didn't know you'd wait this long to tell him, did I?" she cried, defending herself. "I thought you'd have told him before Oscar was born," she explained.

"And I would have except every time I called his number it was answered by a girl," Quinn shouted. "So I deleted it. He's just the same, he won't ever change he'll always be that sleazy, sex mad, scumbag with his eye on the next pretty girl to cross his path," she pouted. Quinn took a deep breath and wiped her hand over her face. "I'm sorry mom," she apologised. "I think it's my own guilt that's making me blame others for my own failings. I apologise," she said quietly. "I'll tell him. I will. Tomorrow, I promise."

* * *

><p>"Hey," Puck said quietly as he finally found his brother hiding out in the auditorium the next day. "I've been looking for you," he told him. "I was thinking about what you said yesterday. I mean, I know you cheated on Marley and you figured it was justified because she won't sleep with you and you feel that your physical needs are more important than her right to choose when and where she takes that huge step, right?" he said, checking if Jake was picking up on the inference of his words. "But can you honestly, hand on heart, say you think that your needs should come before her beliefs?" he asked, taking a seat at the piano.<p>

Jake didn't speak, he couldn't speak. Slowly he shook his head. He still felt like crying if the mood was right. Not that he'd admit that to anyone, certainly not to Puck. Maybe to Marley, he could admit it to Marley. He could tell Marley anything, everything. He could tell her his hopes and dreams of becoming a dancer, talk to her about the years and years he'd spent doing ballet, jazz, tap, he wouldn't even think of telling most people that his most favourite role was Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, of telling them that he loved dancing all the classics but he loved Siegfried most of all.

"See, I know, if I'd been a better person, I maybe wouldn't have lost Quinn, maybe she would have given us the chance to raise Beth ourselves," Puck sighed. He still wondered. It kept him awake some nights, wondering how things might have been if only he'd played things differently. "I picked out a song for you to sing to Marley, help you apologise for being a complete and utter dick," he informed the pouting teen. "Listen," he suggested and turned on the piano stool to face the keys. Gently, Puck started playing.

"Hey,  
>Show me one man that's never made<br>Mistakes  
>And I'll pay<br>All of my time and every dime  
>I've made<br>But today  
>The best of intentions<br>I lay at your feet  
>And I need you to see past<br>The worst part of me

Tired of taking my aim  
>When I keep on missing<br>There's gotta be a better way  
>Gotta be a better way<br>When every little word I say  
>Keeps getting twisted<br>Or coming out wrong  
>So baby hold on<br>I'm trying to hit the mark  
>But I'm shooting with broken arrows<br>It's like I'm shooting with broken  
>Arrows<p>

No  
>I may not be a saint<br>But I've got a heart of gold, yeah  
>And like a telephone<br>Connection ain't clear  
>But I hope you hear my soul<br>You gotta know

Yeah, the best of intentions  
>I lay at your feet<br>And I need you to see past  
>The worst part of me<p>

And I'm tired of taking my aim  
>When I keep on missing<br>There's gotta be a better way  
>There's gotta be a better way<br>Seems like every little word I say  
>Keeps getting twisted<br>Or coming out wrong  
>So baby hold on<br>I'm trying to hit the mark  
>But I'm shooting with broken arrows<br>It's like I'm shooting with broken  
>Arrows<br>It's like I'm shooting with broken  
>Arrows, yeah<br>It's like I'm shooting with broken  
>Arrows<br>Broken arrows

I'm drawing it back now  
>And the target is you<br>And I don't know what else I can do

Tired of taking my aim  
>When I keep on missing<br>There's gotta be a better way  
>There's gotta be a better way<br>Seems like every little word I say  
>Keeps getting twisted<br>Or coming out wrong  
>So baby hold on<br>I'm trying to hit the mark  
>But I'm shooting with broken arrows<br>It's like I'm shooting with broken  
>Arrows, yeah<br>It's like I'm shooting with broken  
>Arrows, yeah<br>It's like I'm shooting with broken  
>Arrows<br>Broken arrows"

Puck turned at the sound of a muffled sob behind him. He'd been so lost in the music, lost in the song, he was vaguely aware that Jake had joined in with the harmonies, it totally didn't surprise Puck that Jake knew the song, he was as big a Daughtry fan as Puck was. Puck caught a glimpse of Quinn hurrying through the backstage area heading towards the exit.

"Go," Jake urged. "Go make sure she's ok," he advised Puck.

Puck leapt up and ran. "Quinn," he called, hoping that if she didn't stop then maybe someone would stop her when they knew he wanted her. No such luck.

* * *

><p>Quinn sat down when she reached the top of the bleachers, trying to catch her breath. "Crap, how out of shape am I?" she asked herself as she shook slightly, totally unused to the exercise.<p>

"I don't know," Puck's voice behind her startled her. "I thought you were quite sprightly for a twenty year old ex cheerleader," he teased.

"How the hell did you get up here before me?" Quinn demanded.

"I climbed," Puck answered with a shrug. "It's a military thing, if there's an obstacle in front of you, climb over it or get under it, don't waste time going round it. And I'm the assault course champ at Hanscom," he added with pride. Puck turned and looked over the edge to the ground below. "Piece of cake," he smiled and shrugged again. "So, you want to tell me how I managed to piss you off this time?" he asked, taking a seat beside her.

"That song, it was just beautiful and I'm still a little hor..." Quinn stopped talking abruptly.

"I wouldn't say that," Puck grinned and nudged her with his shoulder. "A little slutty now and again, but only in a good way. Quinn, you are definitely not a whore," he corrected. "Me either, not any more," he announced proudly. "I don't sleep around all the time, I don't have a few girls in tow, if I spend time with a girl it's just her, not her friends too. I still keep it casual though, I don't usually do second dates but if they don't put out on the first date I don't go getting all upset about it, I just accept it," he said. "Who'da thought, huh? Noah Puckerman, all grown up, right?" he mocked himself. "What about you? You and the English Patient?" he asked.

"James is my cousin," Quinn corrected Puck's assumption with an embarrassed laugh. "And he thinks you're gorgeous by the way," she added, further dispelling any idea that James was in any way interested in her. Or any woman. Puck waited, he knew that there must be more revelations to come, no way was the song _that_ emotion provoking, as nice as it was. "And there's something you should know," she sighed, her heart almost beating out of her chest. "I ah...I..." she stopped and took a deep breath. Quinn tried to start again. "Puck I have to...there's something I have to tell you," she eventually managed.

"Go on," Puck encouraged, he could feel the excitement bubbling up inside him. The dick was her cousin. Her cousin. Her fucking cousin. Halleluja, yes thank you there is a God. Puck couldn't help the glimmer of a grin showing on his face. "You can tell me anything, you know that," he said, watching the emotions play across her face.

"Well, you remember last year?" she asked then rolled her eyes at herself. "Great start, Quinn," she whispered to herself. "Last year at Mr Schue's wedding?" she added, being more specific. "The Valentine's one?" she clarified even more. Puck nodded. Of course he remembered, it was the last time they'd slept together. "Well," she began again nervously then stopped and gulped. "You remember how we snuck into the bridal suite?" she asked, she was almost hyperventilating. Again Puck nodded, he was feeling nervous now too, his heart was beating like mad. "I erm, I, Puck I have something to tell you..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Ownership is neither claimed nor implied.**

**A/N: So ok, it didn't all fall into place yesterday, maybe it will today...or tomorrow...or the next day...or the...**

_"Well, you remember last year?" she asked then rolled her eyes at herself. "Great start, Quinn," she whispered to herself. "Last year at Mr Schue's wedding?" she added, being more specific. "The Valentine's one?" she clarified even more. Puck nodded. Of course he remembered, it was the last time they'd slept together. "Well," she began again nervously then stopped and gulped. "You remember how we snuck into the bridal suite?" she asked, she was almost hyperventilating. Again Puck nodded, he was feeling nervous now too, his heart was beating like mad. "I erm, I, Puck I have something to tell you..."_

"What is it?" Puck asked, Quinn didn't seem to be able to get her words out.

"Ah, I ah," Quinn panted, she was actually hyperventilating, she was scared that she was going to have a stroke or a heart attack. "Oh God, why can't I just say this?" she whispered to herself. "Puck, you're a father," she shouted then let her head drop to her lap and sobbed.

"Quinn, this isn't exactly news," Puck replied a little bit puzzled, he tentatively reached out to stroke her back, comfort her. "Beth is almost four years old, and we all know who the daddy is," he added in a loud, slightly joking whisper.

"No," Quinn cried. "Not Beth. Oscar. You have a s..._we _have a son, Oscar," she said, all the strength leaving her, even her voice, she just sounded so tired, so weary.

"Son," Puck stated flatly, his hand stilling as a shiver ran down his back. "I have a son? Yeah right, good one Q," he laughed, looking around for the others. "You can come out now guys, I'm not falling for that one," he called, laughing.

"Puck, I'm being serious," Quinn cried with her face still in her hands. "Last year, when we slept together in the bridal suite, I got pregnant. Again. Which actually, is totally your fault because you said you had condoms and I trusted you. Again. Why? Is it just me? Do you manage to keep every other girl safe? Is it just me?" she demanded, going off on a tangent, getting angry in the face of Puck's stunned silence. Quinn shivered.

"Seriously?" Puck whispered then gulped. "Fuck," he sighed. "And you never told me? Why? What the fuck is that all about? Why would you even keep that from me?" he shouted. "What the fuck, Quinn?"

"Don't shout at me," Quinn yelled. "I called you. I called and called and every time I called, a girl answered," she hissed.

"Why would a girl answer my phone?" Puck asked, confused, puzzled, looking around as if answers would fly out of the air. "Unless it was my old number, I gave my sister my old phone, she kept the number and I got a new one...a couple of weeks after Mr Schue's wedding," he said, his voice growing quieter as he realised what must have happened. Quinn sucked in a shocked breath, her hands flew to cover her mouth, her eyes were wide. His sister? Oh, fuck. "Whe-where is he?" Puck asked, he felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest, he felt dizzy and a little bit sick.

"At my mom's house," Quinn replied faintly. "Do you want to come with m.." she started to ask as she rose, Puck cut her off.

"No," Puck shouted. "No. I'll go see him, call your mom, tell her I'm on my way, I can't, I don't...I don't even want to _look _at you right now," he growled and stormed away, down the metal steps towards the football field.

Quinn sank back down to the seat and sobbed. Eventually, she got herself together enough to call Judy. "Mom, yeah," she sniffed. "Puck's on his way over," she managed to say before she broke down in tears again.

"He's already here," Judy whispered.

"How is he?" Quinn asked tearfully then bit her lip, her fingers nervously twiddling with the gold cross around her neck.

"Angry," Judy replied. "But what did you expect?" she asked. Judy closed her eyes and shook her head, she felt such pity for her daughter, for Puck too, though if she was honest, she would admit it was more so for Puck, he hadn't had a choice, not in any of this. She hoped that he would find it in his heart to forgive Quinn, she hoped that they would be able to forge some sort of relationship, for Oscar's sake if nothing else. Secretly, Judy hoped that the love she knew they both had for each other would win through. In fact, she was kind of praying that it would.

"How much did he weigh?" Puck asked quietly as he gazed at the cute little boy laid on his lap. His own eyes stared back at him. "What time was he born? Was he full term or did he come early like Beth? Was it as bad as when Beth was born? Did he cry straight away? Did he need oxygen like she did? Did he...I have a million questions, things I shouldn't have to ask, I should have been there and she stole that from me," he said without even looking up at Judy, he just felt her presence in the room, in his son's nursery. "I want my name on his birth certificate," he stated, his voice hadn't changed at all, not in anything he'd said, he sounded tired. "I don't even know his birthday," he realised sadly.

"I think you should talk to Quinn about this," Judy said softly.

"I can't, not yet," Puck replied and had to work hard to suck back the tears, keep it together. "I can't believe she kept this from me," he said again. "Does my mom know?" he asked, looking up at Judy as he picked Oscar up and put him to his shoulder. "Hey, little guy," he whispered. "Do you know who I am?" he asked as though there was a chance that Oscar could reply.

"He knows," Quinn interrupted quietly from the doorway. "He has a mobile over his crib at home, it's all pictures of you and I tell him every day, that's daddy, I talk about you all the ti..." she stopped abruptly as Puck cut in. Judy melted away, left them to fix things, if they could.

"Talk about me but not _to _me," he mocked. "Funny, that," he sneered. "You can tell him all about me but you can't tell me anything about him? Where do you get off making decisions like that?" he demanded. Puck was so angry, he didn't think he'd ever felt such intense anger towards one person before in his life.

"I told you, I called and a girl answered. More than once," Quinn explained again, though she knew it was no excuse.

"And I already told you that my sister has my old phone and number, check it with her," he advised. "Call her, call her now," he encouraged.

"I can't, I deleted your number," Quinn murmured, glancing away from him. It physically hurt her to look at Puck and Oscar together, they looked amazing. And so alike.

"Give it here," Puck ordered, holding out his hand for her phone. Reluctantly, Quinn handed it over. Puck pressed the first few numbers, a lot of number options popped up, he pressed another two numbers, only one option remained. Puck. "Deleted my number, huh?" he asked, holding up the phone for her to see the screen. "Well, that's my old number, that's my name, unless you know any other Pucks," he added sarcastically. "Let's see, dialling, on speaker," he murmured aloud as they heard the number ringing.

"You have reached the voicemail of Chelsea Puckerman, you know what to do, maybe I'll call you back, maybe I won't, ha ha ha..." Puck's sister's voice sang out.

Quinn could see that the number on her screen still read 'Puck'. "Hey Chelsea, it's Quinn," she said after the beep then ended the call. "Ok, so I didn't delete it, I just didn't bother trying again, not after the first six or seven tries and getting a girl answering me, you have to admit, you have a pretty crappy track record," she reminded him. "And you could have called me," she said suddenly, turning it back round on Puck.

"I didn't call because we said that was it, we decided that we weren't going to go down that road again, no, actually, _you_ decided," Puck said quietly, ignoring the insult for the moment. He settled Oscar back on his knee and rocked slightly in the beautiful nursing chair. "I want to know everything," he added, looking at Quinn with hurt eyes. "Start from when you realised you were pregnant," he instructed.

"Well," Quinn sighed as she settled on the big, comfortable cushions on the floor, "about a month after the wedding I started throwing up. The first couple of days I put it down to something I'd eaten, then the next few I attributed to a test I was taking, you know? Nerves?" she said then waited for Puck to nod, he did. "I'd already sort of realised for myself when one of the girls on my floor stopped by my room with a pregnancy testing kit. She'd heard me throwing up day after day when she was in the bathroom throwing up too," she shrugged. "Obviously it was positive so I called you," she told Puck. "A gi...Chelsea answered but I didn't know it was her, she sounds so grown up," she sighed then got back to her story. "I tried I don't know, maybe a dozen times in all, and either it went unanswered or, as I thought, a random girl answered. But you were never there," she whispered.

"So why didn't you call my mom, ask her to get in touch with me?" Puck asked. "You could have done a thousand more things, Quinn, it didn't have to be this way," he sighed.

"Why would I call your mom?" Quinn demanded. "You were always off with other girls even when we tried to be together before Beth was born, why would I imagine that it would have changed?" she asked sternly, she so wanted to shout but Oscar was falling asleep. Suddenly Oscar snuffled and jumped and woke up, immediately, he started crying. "He's probably hungry," Quinn stated and held out her hands for Puck to pass the baby to her.

"I'll feed him," Puck said possessively, holding the baby a little tighter, reluctant to let him go.

"Not unless you're lactating," Quinn challenged with a half grin.

"He gets your boobs?" Puck asked almost wistfully. Quinn nodded and bit her lip. "Oh, not fair," she thought she heard him whisper.

"You can stay if you want to," Quinn offered breathlessly. She blushed as Puck's hand brushed across her tender breast when he passed Oscar into her arms. "Hey sweetie," she smiled into Oscar's pouting, grumbling face. "He looks even more like you when he cries, that pout is you all over," she said, lightening the mood a little.

Puck got down on the floor too, he wanted to be as close to Oscar as possible, as often as possible. "You're wrong, you know, thinking I was with other girls. I wasn't," Puck said quietly as he concentrated on the baby. "I was out trying to earn enough money to pay all the doctor bills, trying to prove to you that I wasn't a dead beat like my dad," he sighed. "In all the years we've been together on and off, whenever we did get together, I was always totally faithful to you," he informed her then looked away for a second. "You can't say the same, can you? You went off with Sam the second the cell door slammed behind me. I mean, as far as I knew, you were my girl, you were waiting for me but I had to hear from Finn that you'd moved on," he reminded her, slightly accusingly. "And believe me, he took a great deal of joy in telling me all about it. Don't forget what happened after we got back together at Rachel's party either," he said. "You kept up the pretence of nothing going on between us, but the whole time we were together you were figuring out how to get back with Finn just to win a crown. Even when we tried again in senior year, after you'd pulled all that crap with Shelby, even then you wouldn't ever tell anyone we were together," he reminded her. Quinn looked at Puck with sad, teary eyes, she didn't really want to remember all this stuff from high school, she didn't come out of it particularly well. Puck sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "How are we going to work this?" he asked as Quinn did what mothers have been doing since the dawn of time, she nourished her child . Puck watched in fascination, envious fascination. "Custody arrangements I mean," he added when Quinn looked puzzled.

"Woah," Quinn cried, her eyes wide. "There aren't going to be any custody arrangements," she insisted crossly as she comforted the startled baby. "I'm his mother, that's it, end of story," she all but growled.

"And I'm his father," Puck replied. "I have some calls to make, I'll be back later," he promised. Puck leaned over and kissed his son's soft, slightly mohawked hair. "The 'hawk looks cool on you, bud," he whispered with a smile then rose to his feet and left the nursery without a backward glance at Quinn.

* * *

><p>"Why didn't you tell me?" Puck asked his mom the second he walked through the door. "I don't understand, why wouldn't you at least drop hints?"<p>

"Noah, you've barely spoken to me since you found out about Jake and you knew that Tanisha and I had deliberately kept you apart," Monica Puckerman reminded her son. "You grew even more distant after Finn died and then you joined up. How could I tell you this?" she asked. "I know you feel that I let you down, that I didn't support you as well as I could have and you're right, I can only apologise for that Noah. I know I laid insult after insult on you but it wasn't you it was aimed at, it was your father, I'm not trying to excuse myself, I'm just trying to explain. I know I should have shown more interest in you, in your football, your basketball, especially so in glee club and again, I didn't, but that is _my_ failing, Noah, not yours," she said in apology. "I wanted to say something so many times I just didn't know how, I didn't know how to even begin to talk to you, I have let you down so much, so many times and I'm sorry."

Puck felt slightly nervous, he wasn't used to so much information coming at him from his mom, certainly not an apology of that magnitude. "Forget it, it's in the past," Puck replied, forgiving his mom in an instant. Puck knew the sort of shit his dad had pulled on his mom, no wonder she had a real downer on anyone male. "But I really wish you had told me about this, it was a shock," he said with a slight huff of laughter as he slumped down on the couch. "Have you seen him?" he asked, pride filling him again just at the thought of his gorgeous little boy.

"Yes," Monica admitted, "yes, I've seen him, held him. He is truly beautiful Noah, he looks exactly like you did when you were a baby," she added with a smile as she reached out and patted Puck's knee. "I'm afraid I took Quinn's side maybe more than I should have, but when she said she'd tried calling you and it was always girls that answered, well, I just...Noah I just thought you were acting exactly like your father and I thought maybe you didn't deserve a chance with Oscar just so you could screw up his life, you know? I'm sorry for that, I took the choice away from you and I never should have done that. Can you forgive me?" she asked quietly.

"Mom, I have stuff to think about, I have to call the families officer at Hanscom, make arrangements for family housing if it's possible, find out how I get Oscar added as a dependent, there's a lot of stuff to arrange," Puck listed as he rubbed his hand over his face, it was only halfway through the day but Puck felt like he'd been awake for days. "I'll need furniture and I don't care what she says, I am going to fight for custody, I've already lost three months, I won't be shut out of his life anymore," he promised.

* * *

><p>"I think you should at least consider it," Judy stated as she finished preparing the vegetables for dinner. Quinn sat at the counter facing her mom, she bit her lip to keep from yelling. "Seriously Quinn, I think you owe it to Noah and to Oscar for them to be able to have the sort of relationship that you've never had with your father, and it isn't going to happen if you and Oscar are in Connecticut and Noah's in Massachusetts, now is it?"<p>

"So, what? I leave college? Abandon my education for a life in an apartment in Massachusetts waiting for Puck to have a moment free to come and visit?" Quinn demanded. "That is seriously not happening," she insisted.

"No, I meant that you should look at transferring from Yale, maybe to Harvard, I mean, I know it's _possible_," Judy explained. "I also know that they don't actually accept very many transfers but perhaps your circumstances will sway the powers that be," she speculated. "Maybe Noah could find somewhere for you all to live together," she suggested.

"You really think so?" Quinn asked, frowning. "What, so I just turn up on his doorstep? Say, hi honey, I'm home and move in with him?" she demanded. "You know he lives in barracks right now, right?" she said standing up to go answer the door. "Hi, I thought it might be you," she admitted grudgingly when she saw Puck on the doorstep. "We were just talking about you," she sighed, leading the way into the kitchen. "Hey baby," she smiled, leaning over the motorised swing that was currently entertaining Oscar. "Daddy's here to see you," she said before she stepped back to give Puck room to see the baby.

"Hey dude," Puck whispered as he crouched to give all his attention to the smiling baby. "I made some enquiries," he announced over his shoulder in Quinn's direction. "I'm not eligible for family housing until my name is on his birth certificate or until we marry, whichever comes sooner," he told her, he didn't miss her slight gasp. "So we need to make arrangements as soon as possible, I called Artie's dad already," he said then sighed as he shook his head. "There's a shitload of legal crap to wade through, but it's possible to get it sorted out quite quickly. Where was he born?" he asked randomly.

"Lima Memorial," Quinn managed to say. "I came home for the last month and I had him here," she said with a shrug. "Mom made a video if you want to see it," she offered.

"Yeah, that would be cool," Puck nodded. "Want me to get that?" he asked, hooking his thumb over his shoulder towards the front door and the knocking sound.

"Yes please," Judy answered then continued with her meal preparations.

"Mom, I didn't expect to see you here," Puck said in surprise when he opened the door. "Come on in," he invited, opening the door wider for his mother and his sister to step through.

"Monica, Chelsea," Judy cried with delight when they walked into the kitchen in front of Puck. "I'm glad you could make it," she added. "Quinn, would you be a dear and set another two places?" she asked.

"Sure," Quinn replied slowly, her wary gaze connecting with Puck's equally wary eyes. She went to the dining room to set the extra places. "How come there's only five places?" she asked when she returned to the kitchen. "Where is James, anyway?"

"He's out with Kurt and that nice friend of his, the one with the shiny hair," Judy replied, plucking two wine glasses from the rack and handing one to Monica. "He won't be home till very late so we have plenty of time to talk and to try to sort things out with you two," she said with a smile.

Puck and Quinn glanced at each other again, despite his many misgivings, Puck felt himself melt a little towards Quinn, felt the anger dissipating just a touch. He knew now they would have to stick together to stop their moms from railroading them into whatever, they had to talk about it and make decisions for themselves. Like grown ups. "Cool," Puck muttered and pulled a face at Quinn, she had to turn away to hide the smile.

The second they sat down to dinner, Oscar, beside the table between Puck and Quinn, still in his swing, decided it was time to make sure no one forgot about him. "Hey little man," Puck said softly as he picked him up out of the swing. "You can sit here with me," he added and settled the baby on his lap.

Judy and Monica between them brought the food to the table and served up. Chelsea kept up an amusing monologue on her day at school and how her friends all thought she was the luckiest thing alive to have two such gorgeous looking brothers. "But they have no idea what it's like," she confided to Quinn. "First of all, if a boy even looks at me sideways at school, they have to deal with Jake, and he is one of the most well known seniors at McKinley High," she grumbled. "Plus, if Jake doesn't think they've taken him seriously enough they get the full uniform complete with gun pictures of Noah, it scares off any potential boyfriend, I can tell you that," she grumbled. "What about you? Are you dating yet?" she asked with interest.

"Better not be," Puck muttered just barely loud enough for Quinn to hear.

"No, Chelsea, I'm not dating anyone," Quinn replied with a narrow eyed stare at Puck. "Not that I couldn't," she added quickly to knock the smirk off Puck's lips.

"Hmm," Chelsea acknowledged with a nod and a glance at her scowling brother. "Interesting," she murmured as she picked up her fork.

"Well, I think we should concentrate on the important things," Judy announced breathlessly, she sounded very, very nervous. "Noah, I picked up the form this afternoon for the two of you to sign for you to acknowledge paternity, you just need to get it notarised when it's complete, also if you are going to change Oscar's name from Fabray to Puckerman, you can do that too," she informed the stunned pair. "What? You thought I just went to the market?" she asked Quinn before rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"We'll get right on that," Puck replied with a relieved smile, Artie's dad had advised him to pick one up ASAP, Judy had saved him the job.

"Also," Judy continued while she busied herself with serving more food to anyone who would eat it, "also, Quinn and I were discussing the possibility of her transferring from Yale to Harvard," she announced.

Quinn gulped and glanced at Puck, he looked surprised. "You'd do that?" Puck asked, the surprise as evident in his voice as on his face. Quinn shrugged a shoulder but didn't make any reply.

"I think it might be an idea if you stayed here for the next few days," Judy offered. "It'll give you a chance to really spend some time with Oscar."

"I-I'd like that, thank you," Puck managed to reply, he felt a little choked actually, he never expected Judy Fabray would be the one who was going all out to work things out for him. But Puck had to admit, he kind of liked it.

* * *

><p>"Can I give him his bath tonight?" Puck asked from the nursery doorway, he was lounged against the door frame with his hands in his pockets. He'd been home after dinner to collect some clothes and things.<p>

Quinn looked up and nodded, not surprised that he was back so soon. "Sure," she said quietly as she gathered all of Oscar's stuff together. Quinn led the way through her bedroom to her bathroom. On her bed she spotted an overnight bag that she could only assume belonged to Puck. "So you think you're sleeping with me?" she thought to herself.

"Your mom said to put it in here," Puck answered Quinn's unspoken question. "I think she's trying to get us together again," he said with a slightly embarrassed laugh. "You don't have to worry, I'll sleep on the floor in Oscar's room, it's him I'm here for," he added a touch cruelly.

"You've always been welcome in my bed, you know that," Quinn lied, because there were many times that she would have kicked him out if he'd even attempted to climb in. "And just so you know, when I told you that you were my first, I should also have said 'and only'," she finally admitted. "There still hasn't ever been anyone but you."

Puck felt a glimmer of something inside him, he couldn't put a name to it, hope, maybe? He tried to dismiss the warm glow but it wasn't easy to put aside, especially not with the wiggling bundle of joy in his arms making his presence known. "Ready for your bath, little man?" Puck asked lifting the baby upright so they were face to face. Oscar grinned and pulled faces, he kicked and cycled his little legs. Quinn ran the water in the tub. "So are you going to show me how to do this?" he asked, he was trembling a little, it was quite nerve-wracking, he didn't want to get it wrong.

"First of all, you have to check if he's wet or if he's dirty," Quinn advised, sitting on the closed toilet. Puck knelt on the floor and gently laid Oscar on his mat. Now that she could see how nervous Puck was, Quinn was really starting to look forward to this little exercise. Oh, how she hoped that the diaper was a really messy one. Puck carefully, apprehensively, stripped off all of Oscar's clothes.

"Jeez, how can something so small make so much mess?" Puck asked, gagging as he opened the diaper. "And smell so bad," he added as the full force of Master Oscar Noah Fabray's bowel movement hit him square on in the face.

"Want me to do it?" Quinn offered, starting to rise.

"No, no, I can manage," Puck said determinedly. He sucked in a breath and held it, wincing and gagging as he steeled himself to clean up the crappy little butt. "It's on his fu-ah...it's on his feet," he exclaimed, catching himself before he swore. "How the hell can he get shit on his feet?" he demanded.

"Because you let him kick his legs once you'd opened the diaper," Quinn replied, getting down on the floor beside Puck. "Hold his feet up, no, together in one hand, no, like this, that's it, right, ok, wipes, give it a tug, they pop out one at a time. You're doing fine," she praised. "Careful, he's going to...nice one, right in daddy's eye," she leaned over to kiss the squealing, gurgling baby. "I'm so glad it's not just me you pee on," she said with a grin. "Get used to it, he does it all the time," she advised over her shoulder to the shocked and slightly soggy, pouting daddy.

"Takes after me in a few areas I'd say," Puck muttered with barely restrained pride, "not just my eyes, huh?" he said with a wink at Quinn. "Oh yeah, the ladies are going to love you when you're older," he crowed, Quinn rolled her eyes but declined to answer. "Ok, let's get you in that water," Puck said, lifting the baby from the mat on the floor. "How? Do I just float him in it?" he asked. Puck had a vague memory of watching his mom bathe his sister when she was a baby, he thought she sort of supported her shoulders, kept her head out of the water but that was about it, the sum total of his knowledge.

Quinn watched as Puck swished Oscar in the water for a few minutes, he seemed to be handling the bathing rather well. "Here, shampoo," she said, holding the bottle out.

"I've got my hands full," Puck all but cried. "How can I wash his hair _and_ hold him at the same time?" he demanded.

"How do you think I've done it every night?" Quinn asked a little crossly.

"That is not my fault," Puck hissed. "If I'd known I would have been there from day one, so don't throw that one at me," he said, his tone a little nasty. Quinn had been expecting that, she knew it would get said at some point, she just didn't think it would be this soon. She chose to ignore it and move on.

Carefully, Quinn talked Puck through how to wash their baby, then how to wrap him up in his warm, snuggly towel once he was finished in the bath. Oscar started to cry the instant he was out of the water. "He likes that, doesn't he?" Puck murmured, he wanted to keep the peace too, the mood was still a little tense at the moment, but he hoped they would both soon relax.

"Yep," Quinn said with a smile, recognising Puck's distraction technique for what it was. "Oscar loves his bath." All three of them adjourned to the nursery, Puck stood at the changing table, he noted the items that Quinn had already placed ready, the diaper, the onesie, the sleep suit and some sort of cream.

"Where does that go?" Puck asked, picking up the tube of cream to read the label. "On his ass?" he asked. "Jeez, you poor kid, you've either got cream or crap on your butt. Let me tell you, it gets easier when you leave the diapers behind, dude," he advised the still sniffling little boy.

Quinn watched in amusement as Puck made a fairly decent job. "Just fasten that a bit tighter otherwise through the night I'll have to change the whole crib," she advised. Puck refastened the diaper. "Better. Good job, daddy," she teased. Puck wasn't sure if that stung or not. "Supper time, right?" Quinn said when the onsie and sleepsuit were on. She picked Oscar up and carried him to the chair. Once she was settled and comfortable, Quinn sat back with her eyes closed, she rocked and hummed quietly as Oscar suckled. Quinn was totally aware of Puck, knew that he'd made himself comfortable on the floor, knew he was watching. Quinn squirmed just a little.

* * *

><p>"Really, I don't mind, you can stay in here with me," Quinn said for the third time. "I have the monitor there, if he makes a sound you can hear it straight away, and you can be there in a couple of seconds. He doesn't usually wake through the night anymore, he's usually good till about six," she told Puck.<p>

"See, that's the sort of thing I'd know, I should know," Puck sighed as he sat down heavily on the end of Quinn's bed. "I can't believe I've only known about him for like, ten hours, it already feels like a life time," he said. "I'm trying really hard not to be mad at you but I just don't get why you didn't want me to know that you were pregnant, didn't I always show you that I wanted the best for you?" he asked.

"You did," Quinn agreed. She didn't really have a clear answer as to why she didn't try everything possible to let Puck know about Oscar as soon as she knew. Quinn knew she'd been selfish, incredibly selfish, and she really didn't know why. "Do you want to see the video?" she asked. Puck nodded. Quinn popped the disc drive open on her laptop and inserted the burned copy. Puck waited with anticipation, barely breathing, until the screen displayed the scene. Just about the same as he remembered, Quinn laid on a bed with her knees up, a sheet draped over her protecting her modesty from all and sundry who seemed to be making regular excursions into her room.

"Who's that guy?" Puck asked, pointing to a man on the screen. The guy was dressed in scrubs, had very neat designer stubble, looked incredibly buff even under the shapeless, nondescript clothing. Puck was feeling a tad uncomfortable each and every time the guy whipped the sheet back and thrust his gloved hand far too close to the bits of Quinn that only he knew. Actually, uncomfortable wasn't quite true. Jealous was more like it. "What's he doing? Copping a feelski?" he demanded.

"That's Neil, the midwife," Quinn answered with a giggle. "He delivered Oscar," she informed the more than slightly shocked Puck.

"What?" Puck screeched. "That guy had his hands up..." he demanded, scandalised, pointing towards Quinn's nether regions.

"He examined me a few times, if that's what you're asking," Quinn replied, shifting away from Puck a little, sensing his anger. "He's a professional," she added, crossing her arms after she'd paused the footage.

"I don't care," Puck shouted getting up off the bed and turning to face Quinn. "You had a guy shoving his hands into places they had no right to be," he growled. "And your mother fucking filmed it," he added, absolutely incensed.

"Who did your medical when you joined the Air Force?" Quinn asked, making herself a little more comfortable against the pillows. Quinn wondered if Puck was going to be honest here because she'd already heard the story from Santana about the female doctor who had performed it. If indeed _that_ story was true.

"A doctor," Puck replied, looking and sounding rather like his five year old self.

"A _male_ doctor?" Quinn asked, with a sort of knowing lilt to her voice.

"No," Puck mumbled and turned away.

"And did she have to examine you..._intimately_?" Quinn asked, an 'I know I am superior' note came into her voice.

"Yes," Puck managed to say through gritted teeth.

"So she had her hands on your pe..." she asked and gave Puck 'the look' even as he cut her off.

"Yes, alright, she had her hands on my balls and my dick, so what?" Puck shouted. "It's not the same," he insisted.

"This guy helped our son come into the world," Quinn cried, pointing at the paused video. "It would have been the same if Dr Wu or Dr Chin delivered him," she insisted. "They don't do the job because they're perverts," she told him, "at least I hope they don't," she added, more to herself than to Puck, "they do it because it's their job and hopefully, they love their job," she sighed.

Puck scowled but climbed back onto the bed and settled with Quinn again against the pillows. "Look, watch this part," Quinn whispered as the camera was carried to a better position.

"Oh my God, it's winking at me," Puck teased, giving Quinn a nudge when the shot that Judy had gone for turned extremely graphic. "Crap, that's the bit I remember from when Beth was born, that crowning, oh jeez, fuck that is fucking scary, you are so lucky you don't have to see that part," he told Quinn as he winced and watched the video with one eye closed.

"Oh, right, 'cos that's the hard part, watching, right, I forgot that," Quinn scoffed. "Try being on the business end of things, you'd soon change your mind," she told Puck crossly. They watched the rest of the birth almost in silence, just the odd gasp or breath sucked between teeth. Quinn melted for the millionth time when Neil placed Oscar on her chest and almost immediately he rooted for her nipple. The first time he actually fed, he was barely thirty minutes old.

"Dude knows what to do with that, right?" Puck commented with glowing pride. "Oh yeah, you totally take after your daddy," he whispered to the screen. "I love your mom's boobs too," he added as his finger stroked the tiny cheek on the screen. He gave Quinn a glance and a half snigger. "Sorry about that, I think I'm tired," Puck said quietly, the embarrassed grin still in place.

Quinn closed the laptop and set it aside. Carefully she climbed off the bed and swiftly threw off her clothes, leaving herself in just the most scandalous pair of panties that Puck had ever seen her in. He gulped. He was almost disappointed when she reached under her pillow and brought out a yellow nightie. He straightened up visibly when she dropped it to the floor. "I don't think I'll need this tonight, if you're here with me," she said as the garment pooled on the floor beside her feet.

"I sort of thought we had an understanding," Puck muttered nervously. "No funny business?" he said, wondering if she remembered.

Quinn giggled, watched Puck try to swallow with a dry mouth as her boobs jiggled. "That lasted all of twenty minutes even the night you said it," she reminded him. "Even after you slept with Shelby, I still wanted you. I do now, I think I'll always want you if you're around and if I'm going to move from New Haven to Lincoln and share a house with you, we might as well just get on with it because you know it's going to happen," she said, with more than a touch of pragmatism.

"I didn't bring any condoms," Puck revealed, his eyes on her as she walked slowly round to his side of the bed.

"Don't need 'em," Quinn whispered as her hands took charge of pulling his shirt up and off. "Implant," she informed him with a nod towards her left arm.

"You're sure about this?" Puck whispered, his body trembling in anticipation, his head lowering to touch his lips to hers.

"Trust me," Quinn sighed into his mouth just before their lips sealed together. It was one of the best nights of Quinn's life...

* * *

><p>"We have to be at school for eleven today," Puck reminded Quinn as they made their way to the kitchen. "That gives us enough time to call in at the bank to get this from notarised, then we can get it filed and just sit back and wait for his new birth certificate," he said with a satisfied sigh.<p>

"And I'm still going to insist that his first two names remain the same," Quinn replied as she settled Oscar into his swing. "I like Oscar Noah, admittedly it sounds better when it's followed by Puckerman rather than Fabray," she said, smiling prettily, "but that's ok, he's only Fabray for a few more weeks," she shrugged.

"I'm cool with the Oscar and the Puckerman but do we have to stick the little guy with Noah, too?" Puck asked as he sat at the breakfast bar.

"Yes we do," Quinn insisted and wrapped her arms around Puck's neck, she touched her lips to his, she loved that his tongue automatically poked out to slide between her lips and his hands, almost of their own accord, fell to her hips to keep her there, where she stood, between Puck's thighs.

"Breakfast, anyone?" Judy asked as she breezed into the kitchen. She didn't even try to hide the happy, satisfied grin.

"What?" Quinn asked, still in position with Puck except she'd turned her head when her mom spoke.

"Nothing," Judy replied, still grinning widely. "Looks like Grandma and Nana were right, doesn't it, Oscar?" she said, smiling at the baby. Oscar squealed, kicked and blew raspberries, his swing moving with the constant motion of his arms and legs.

"Right about what?" Puck asked suspiciously.

"That all you two would need was a push in the right direction," Judy admitted. "You know as well as the rest of us, you two are meant to be together," she informed them. "Nothing will ever convince me any different."

"So now that we've sort of worked through some of our problems," Quinn asked curiously, "you'll be happy for me to move to Massachusetts? Even if I don't get the transfer to Harvard?" she asked.

"I'll be honest, I'd prefer it if the transfer could happen but actually, I think for right now, your family is a bit more important than your education. Education is something that you can go back to at any time, Oscar will only be a baby for right now," she said, surprising the hell out of Quinn.

"I called my advisor," Quinn admitted. "She is confident that I meet the criteria to transfer," she told her ecstatic mom.

"That is good news, I found you a house by the way," Judy said excitedly, "just in case," she added with wide eyes. "You don't have to take this, but it's in Lincoln, right near Hanscom, it's about a half hour drive to Harvard, it's a perfect family home for you, three bedrooms so you could have grandmas and nanas come to visit," she said with more than a hint of a grin.

"We'll look at it later, we have to get going, we have an appointment at the bank to see the notary then we have to get to McKinley. We're taking Oscar with us today," Puck told Judy as they finished eating breakfast.

* * *

><p>"That's it? We're all done?" Puck asked as he paid the fee to the woman who had witnessed their signatures on the form to acknowledge him as Oscar's father.<p>

"As soon as this is filed with the relevant agency, yes," the woman said with a smile. "You'll get a letter when the new birth certificate is ready for collection," she advised them, it was one of the forms that she regularly notarised for people.

"Thank you," Quinn said with a smile as Puck lifted Oscar's car seat and carried him in it towards his truck.

* * *

><p>"I'm sure. You go do the talk in the locker room like Coach Beiste asked you to do," Quinn urged.<p>

"What are you guys going to do?" Puck asked, reluctant to leave.

"You'll find out later, just go," Quinn said, pretending to lose patience with him.

"Fine, I'm gone. I'll take Oscar if you want," Puck offered, hoping that Quinn would say yes.

Quinn bit her lip nervously and thought hard. "Yes, fine, take him, Coach said she wants you to force the safe sex issue into their brains," she said in a rush. "Go, quickly," she instructed after smacking lots of kisses on Oscar's face. "Bye," she sighed as Puck leaned in for a brief, urgent kiss.

"What was that I saw?" Rachel asked teasingly, she'd stayed out of sight until Puck had gone.

"Nothing," Quinn replied with a bashful smile.

"Didn't look like nothing," Rachel corrected. "That looked like Puck and Oscar with a great big helping of Quick on the lips," she teased.

"There may be some truth to that," Quinn laughingly answered. "But don't rush us, it's very early days," she reminded the pint-sized brunette. Rachel said nothing, she just held onto Quinn's hand and tried to restrain a squeal.

* * *

><p>"So Coach asked me to come in here and talk to all you guys," Puck announced, grabbing the thirty or so guys' attention. "But I'm sure you're all too safety aware to need to listen to me, right?" he asked as the mumblings and grumblings among the teenagers reached his ears. "What does he know? That's what you're thinking, right?" he asked. "Well, I know a lot, actually," Puck answered his own question. "What Coach wants me to tell you guys is to use condoms, stay safe, don't do what I did, alright?" he said, looking at them for at least a nod of acknowledgement.<p>

"What did you do?" one of the younger kids asked.

"Who're you?" Puck asked, pointing the boy out.

"Josh," the kid replied.

"Josh," Puck nodded. "Well, you probably know my brother," he said, pointing at Jake, "maybe my sister too, Chelsea Puckerman," he added and saw the boy's eyes widen a touch, in fear, he thought. "Well, I'm their big brother who screwed up big time in my sophomore year," he told the group. "I got my best friend's girlfriend pregnant," he announced, "by being stupid, by thinking I knew it all," he said. "It wasn't just my life that was affected, it was Quinn's, it was her family's, it was my family's, it was our friends', it was our child's," he listed. "It was like tossing a stone in a pond and watching the ripples. The ripples went out a long, long way and lasted a really long time," he said, feeling quite lyrical, poetic. "And they're still going," he added, lifting Oscar out of his car seat. "This is the latest ripple effect," he introduced. "This is Oscar, he is the result of an ineffective use of condoms while under the influence of alcohol and being in close proximity to a certain lady, one Miss Quinn Fabray," he told them, while smiling proudly at Oscar. "So Coach wants you all to make sure, if you are going to be sexually active, to make sure you keep it under wraps, use a condom, ok?" he said, looking up and down the rows of blushing boys. "Except you," he pointed at Josh. "Stay away from my sister, I have a gun and I know how to use it," he informed the gulping boy.

* * *

><p>Puck and Oscar made their way back to the choir room. "I can't believe she asked me to do that," he whispered in embarrassment to Quinn. "I had no idea what to say, I just talked garbage for ten minutes then picked him up and told them even using condoms isn't safe if you don't put it on right," he muttered, pulling a face and rolling his eyes.<p>

"That's probably the most graphic bit," Quinn grinned. "Go sit," she encouraged then turned as more people came into the choir room. As soon as the whole class was settled, Quinn, Rachel and Marley took the floor in front of the piano. "So yesterday you all heard a song from Jake," Quinn began with a smile and indicated him in the front row. "A beautiful song by the way," she added then was interrupted.

"How do you know?" Ryder asked, a bit distrustfully, he didn't like that Marley had visibly melted when Jake had sung that song, his eyes locked on to her the entire time he was singing. "You weren't even in here yesterday, and you missed the careers thing with Mr Schue," he accused.

"I know because I've heard Puck sing the song before," Quinn replied, defending herself. "Anyway, Rachel, Marley and I, we have something to sing and I hope you enjoy it," she finished with a shy smile at Puck. Puck sat back with Oscar in his arms, mesmerised by Quinn and her confidence. She looked amazing, she smelt even better.

All three girls settled themselves on the tall stools placed in readiness in front of the piano. As soon as Brad started playing, Puck remembered when the girls had sung the song before, Quinn hadn't sung it that time, he wondered how long Rachel would manage before she burst into tears. Rachel took the first verse.

"The first time ever I saw your face  
>I thought the sun rose in your eyes<br>And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave  
>To the dark and the endless skies, my love<br>To the dark and the endless skies," she sang, the tears ran freely down her cheeks, Puck knew that she was thinking of Finn. He glanced over to Mr Schue and saw him wipe away a guilty tear too. Marley took the next verse, her eyes were locked onto Jake.

"And the first time ever I kissed your mouth  
>I felt the earth move in my hand<br>Like the trembling heart of a captive bird  
>That was there at my command, my love<br>That was there at my command, my love," she blushed and looked down at her hands resting in her lap when she was finished. Puck looked towards Quinn, he knew the next part was for him and he really couldn't wait. Quinn's voice filled the choir room, Puck sighed with pleasure and hugged Oscar a fraction tighter.

"And the first time ever I lay with you  
>I felt your heart so close to mine<br>And I knew our joy would fill the earth  
>And last till the end of time, my love<br>And it would last till the end of time, my love," she sang, Quinn swallowed visibly as she came to the end of her verse, a single tear rolled down her face. All three girls sang the next part.

"The first time ever I saw your face  
>Your face<br>Your face  
>Your face"<p>

Silence reigned for a few moments until Oscar squawked and threw himself about to get noticed by his mommy. Puck stood up and carried the baby over to Quinn, she stood to greet them both. "You really feel like that?" Puck asked very, very quietly.

"Yes," Quinn whispered back. "I know you're still mad at me," she added, too quiet for anyone else to hear, "but I hope that one day you can forgive me and until then, you're stuck with us, we aren't going anywhere," she informed Puck with a hint of a teary grin.

Puck nodded thoughtfully, he considered all of the times in the past that Quinn had forgiven him for doing something really stupid or utterly selfish. She'd even forgiven him for sleeping with Shelby and completely ruining their chances of some sort of relationship with Beth. He took a deep breath then leaned just a little closer. "I forgive you," he whispered. "Can you forgive me too?" he asked.

Quinn bit her lip and bit back a tear. "Broken Arrows?" she asked with a sniff and a hopeful gleam in her eye.

"Yeah, we're both shooting with Broken Arrows," Puck agreed and bent to kiss her to the cheers of New Directions and their friends...


End file.
